Introduction

INTRODUCTION TO ME: ONLYASMILE

SEASON 2: HIGH PLATINUM, SEASON 3: DIAMOND ELO

SEASON 3: ROAD TO DIAMOND

You guys might know me from how popular my guide was back in season 3 and 4, being one of the first ever top lane Hecarim player. Finally, after a year's break, Top Lane Pony is back and it's STRONGER THAN EVER.

INTRODUCTION TO HECARIM

LORE

Since his first sighting on the northwestern shores of Valoran, the towering, armored specter known as Hecarim struck a chilling fear into the hearts of all who laid eyes upon him. No one had ever seen anything like his titanic, ethereal form before, and the mystery of his sudden arrival was deeply unnerving. When Hecarim began to march eastwards, leaving a trail of desolate, lifeless ground behind him, the villagers of the plains fled their homes for the safety of nearby Demacia. In the city's now-overcrowded taverns, rumors about this inhuman phantom spread in hushed whispers. Some claimed that he was the vengeful shade of an ancient warrior, intent on destroying all living beings; one man insisted that they had seen him leading an entire legion of spectral cavalrymen; others still believed him to be the creation of some hateful necromancer. One Demacian commander, seeking to dispel the terror that had gripped the city, assembled a few of his finest soldiers and rode out to turn back or destroy Hecarim.

The commander led his soldiers to stand in Hecarim's path and braced for his assault. As the apparition bore down on them, an overwhelming sensation of dread gripped the warriors. The men, frozen in fear, could only scream as the ghostly titan ran them down, tearing them apart and trampling them beneath his iron hooves. Hecarim turned to the crippled, cowering commander and uttered a chilling statement: ''This is merely the beginning. No mortal army can withstand the might of the Shadow Isles.'' With that, Hecarim departed, resuming his grim march. Driven to insanity by his nightmarish experience, the commander stumbled back to Demacia, where his dire warnings were dismissed as the ravings of a madman. While Hecarim's origin and intent were still a mystery, his destination became clear when he reached the Institute of War and, in a voice both ominous and commanding, demanded entry into the League of Legends.

Top lane AD bruisers are known to fall off late game and leave the spotlight to AD carries. Although, Hecarim is NOT like that. He's an AD bruiser who shines most mid and late game. Why? Because mid and late game are when the big teamfights happen and Hecarim is a beast in teamfights. If you want a near-unkillable pony with a godlike teamfight initiation that can chase any running AD carry or protect yours like a boss, then Hecarim is your champ.

RANDOM FEATURED VIDEOS
Youtube Channel
Please support and subscribe!

I hope all of this made you guys interested in learning top lane Hecarim with my guide.

Runes

9x Armor Pen Marks: Great on Hecarim because it makes him deal more damage. You will already have a lot of attack damage with your passive because of all the bonus movement speed you'll have late game, so this is better than flat AD runes. That means the only thing that could stop you from destroying everyone is armor, which is why you take armor pen marks. I wouldn't recommend anything else.

9x Flat Armor Seals or Mixed With Health Seals: Standard seals for top lane. Armor is essential if you're going against an AD bruiser. You cannot go without armor if you're going against a hard AD bruiser like Darius or Riven for example. These can be changed into health runes if you're going against an AP top champ. I put in a mixed, but it's all preference.

Mix of Mana Regen Seals and Magic Resist: The Mana Regen Glyphs will give you more hp sustain in lane as well since your W has been buffed to heal even more. Feel free to switch to the standard Magic Resist Glyphs. This suits my playstyle best.

3x Movement Speed Quints: Movement speed quints are the best. They synergize with Hecarim better than with any other champs because of his passive. As an initiator/chaser, these are godly on him. I wouldn't recommend anything else.

- More points in the offensive masteries make Hec noticeably stronger
- Encourages a more aggressive playstyle. Practically no one knows how strong Hec's burst is
- W has been buffed to heal more so less need of early sustain!
- Lets you snowball harder

Summoner Sets

Ignite & Ghost

Explanation:

Gives you more killing potential in lane, which is the main reason why I like taking this. I just hate it when the enemy runs away with a tiny amount of health. I'm sure you guys feel the same also.

Great spell for Hec. It synergizes well with his passive and it makes him an even bigger late game monster. I'd definitely take this if the enemy team doesn't have a hard ganker as a jungler (Shaco, Maokai, etc.). I found myself taking this a lot more than flash lately for the extra late game power. I recommend Ghost for the experienced Hecarim players.

Helps you escape or catch up to someone quickly. Take this if you're only starting to learn Hecarim. The reason why I like taking flash is because it helps me escape hard ganks. As a top laner, this is your best friend, especially vs enemy junglers like Maokai or Shaco. You can never go wrong with Flash. I recommend Flash for the new Hecarim players.

Viable if you know that you can't kill your opponent (Yorick, Vlad, etc.) or if you want more map control.

I don't take exhaust because I like having more kill potential with ignite, but it's all preference. A good exhaust may even save your whole team (exhausting a kennen ult for example).

This is what you want when you're in one of those annoying 50+ minute games and you keep having an excess amount of cash to use. This is not in order, so build situationally. You destroy anyone who tries to oppose you with this build. Your sustain is ridiculous with Ravenous Hydra and Spirit Visage along with your W sustain, you ignore any AP casters with Spirit Visage's magic resist and hp regen passive, you make AD carries or bruisers regret coming close to you because of Frozen Heart, you catch up to anyone in an instant with your maxed CDR and make them explode with Trinity's proc + Hydra's activation + Youmuu's activation + Ghost Spell... All in all, you're a freaking Raid Boss. This is the reason why people fear Late Game Hecarim. If you get to this build, it should be pretty much over for them. Season 5 approved!

Build Order

This is the build order that you need to follow if you're snowballing. In other cases, everything you build is situational.

Skill Order

Start with one point in Q, then take one point in W and then E to have all your skills available early for passive play. I recommend doing this if you keep getting kited by a Teemo or a Vlad for example.

If you want to be aggressive from the start, get your first points in Q, then one in E and then another one in Q. Get W at level 4. You'd want to use this vs weak early game champs such as Cho, Irelia, Nasus, Jax, etc. (Props to plugy for mentionning this)

Having E early may save you from an early hard gank from a Maokai, a Shaco or an Alistar for example.
Take R everytime you can. You max Q first because it's Hecarim's main damage dealer. After that, you max W for the sustain it gives. Finally, you max E last for the usefulness it gives at late stages of the game.

Skills

Explanation:
This is why movement speed bonus is so good on Hecarim. Nothing is better than movement speed at late stages of the game for an initiator. Plus, he gets free bonus attack damage for it that can make him burst down any carries late game even faster. What more can you ask for?

Rampage

Q: RampageHecarim cleaves nearby enemies for 60/95/130/165/200 (+60% bonus Attack Damage) physical damage. (66% damage to minions and monsters)If Hecarim damages at least one enemy with this attack he gains a stack of Rampage, reducing the base cooldown of this skill by 1 second for a short duration. This effect can stack up to 2 times.

Explanation:
This is Hec's main damage skill, which is why you max it first. With full CDR, you can use it almost each second. It's an AoE skill that does physical damage and you can use it without stopping your movements, which means you can keep spamming it while chasing your target.

Spirit of Dread

W: Spirit of DreadHecarim deals 80/120/160/200/240 (+80% Ability Power) magic damage over 4 seconds to all nearby enemies. Hecarim is healed for 20% of the damage these enemies take from any source.Hecarim cannot heal more than 90/120/150/180/210 Health from minions or monsters.

Explanation:
Oh man. Why is it that people just can't seem to kill this huge pony in teamfights? It's because of this skill. You can just jump into 5 people without worrying about getting killed because you'll just regain health thanks to the damage that your teammates deal to the enemies. This skill combined with your ult is mainly what makes you godly late game. Even if you're ignited, people would be foolish to focus someone as tanky as you. The best thing about this skill is that it doesn't just heal you with only the damage done by you. It can be anyone's damage and it will still heal you.

In this vid, I show you guys how useful this skill is. Thanks to the damage done by my teammates while I had W activated, I ended up surviving a 1 vs 5, even when I got exhausted twice and got ignited (I didn't expect the enemy to be all there lol).

Explanation:
Great for chasing, initiating and escaping. This skill is especially good late game, which is why you max it last. There are many ways of using this skill, which are explained in detail in the tips and tricks section.

Onslaught of Shadows

R: Onslaught of ShadowsHecarim summons spectral riders and charges forward, dealing 150/250/350 (+100% Ability Power) magic damage to anyone they strike. Hecarim releases a shockwave when he finishes his charge, causing nearby enemies to flee from Hecarim for 1 second.Hecarim himself will only move to the targeted location. The riders will always move the full distance.

Explanation:
GODLY ULT. You can go rambo into 5 people without a care in the world with this combined with your W, as long as your team is there to do damage. One of the best initiations hands down.

February 23th, 2015
- Added more clips in the GAMEPLAY SECTION. Check it out :D

February 20th, 2015
- Updated masteries, spells and runes to fit the new website format. Added a few clips all around the guide.

April 23rd, 2014
- HELP SUPPORT THIS GUIDE FOR UPDATES BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW!

October 30th, 2013
- Wall Of Success section added. Don't hesitate to write about your success with top Hec in the comments section!

October 6 to 9, 2013
- Made the new runes optional
- Title slightly changed
- Added a pic of how successful Top Lane Hec has been on my road to diamond in the ''Who Am I'' section
- Updated my season 3 profile with Top Hec as my second most played champ in the ''Who Am I'' section

September 26, 2013
- Masteries and Runes updated

June 19, 2013
- Kennen gameplay vid added

June 7, 2013
- Wukong gameplay vid added
- Zed matchup added

May 13, 2013
- SEASON 3 HEC GAMEPLAYS ADDED

April 27th, 2013
- Pic added for the Renek matchup. Seriously, I don't see what's the problem with Renek, guys lol

April 18, 2013
- Renekton and Katarina added in the matchup section

April 2nd, 2013
- Difficulty levels retuned in the Matchup Section

March 15, 2013
- Specification changes about the ''How To Snowball To Victory'' section

Pros And Cons

Pros:
- Can engage for teamfight
- Can easily protect the AD carry late game
- Can chase after anyone
- Very high durability in teamfights
- Great at escaping
- Benefits greatly from movement speed
- Great at ganking
- Good sustain in lane
- Strong early, mid and late game

Cons:
- Requires knowledge on how and when to engage
- Requires a high level of judgement for teamfights
- Requires the attitude of a BOSS because you decide when to make plays happen
- Weak early game
- Can be mana hungry if you spam W too often

Why top lane over jungle?

To me, Hecarim feels a lot stronger top lane than he does in the jungle. The main reason why I like him better top is because of his ultimate, which leads to such an easy kill if your jungler comes to gank. Think of it as a Malphite ult. Learning the speed, location and when to time your ult is what will reward you the most as a Hecarim player (There's an example in the video section on how to do it). Also, Hec has a lot of escapes in case of ganks (either your ult, your E dash or ghost/flash). Enemy junglers usually think twice before ganking after seeing your speed. All in all, I just love him top and I'm bad with him in the jungle (even though all my ranked games with him have been in the jungle, which explains my low win ratio with him xD).

Here are a few matches in season 3 with my new build and masteries:

What To Do And What Not To Do

Do
- Engage in a 1 on 1 with your Q's passive at maxed stack
- Get your E skill second if you feel like you're going to get ganked early
- Use your Q to farm
- Use Ghost before engaging in a fight for that extra attack damage boost from your passive
- Push your lane and roam if you can't kill your lane opponent
- Ativate W on minions to gain back health
- Tell your jungler to come when your Ult is up for a free kill
- Stay on top of your AD carry to protect him
- Ping everytime you want to engage
- Ult to disrupt the enemy's positioning

Don't
- Go alone in a teamfight, even if you're fed
- Spam your skills early game and be out of mana
- Play aggressively when your E and your Ult is down
- Hide behind your team in a teamfight
- Hesitate when there's a chance
- Be aggressive at lvl 1-4
- Be too cocky

Items Discussion

What To Build And Why?

***What you decide to build will always depend on the situation***

Take this when you're not vs an aggressive ad bruiser. The ward is great to prevent early ganks and your sustain is ridiculously good with Crystalline Flask.

Take Merc Threads vs an AP lane. Take Ninja Tabi vs an AD lane. I wouldn't recommend any other boots for Top Lane Hecarim.

Its cost has been lowered to only 700 gold, so it's really worth getting early if you want more sustain. You'll no longer have health and mana sustain problem after getting this along with your Crystalline Flask.

Always think about which to get first between Glacial Shroud and Sheem. I love getting Glacial Shroud first when I'm up vs an AD top laner. The armor that it gives helps you win your lane and the CDR synergizes well with your Q's passive, making your Q useable consecutively often at maxed stacks. As for Sheen, I usually get it first when I'm up vs an AP top laner (Vlad, Rumble, etc.).

I made this Hecarim's core item. It helps you peel so well for your AD carry. The reason why you would take this instead of trinity is because this item gives incredible AoE cc, AoE damage, mana, defense and CDR. You might think that you do less damage with this, but you're wrong. The increased CDR makes your Q available almost each second, which makes you do more damage overall. Try it. It's just too good on him. Also, it's everything to protect the carries in your team, which is your job as a tank.

This is now one of my favorite tank items to get in season 3. Offers good health chunk and health regen. This combined with your frozen fist will let you tower dive with ease. Health is always good vs either AP or AD champs, so that's why it's always a solid item to get.

This is actually a very good item for Hecarim. Since Hecarim is always in the middle of everything, the passive of this item is used to its full potential. Also, combined with Spirit Visage, your lifesteal with this item is so good.

The active proc of Youmuu's Ghostblade + Ghost + Trinity proc will make you burst down ANY squishy targets. Really recommended for season 5.

Still a good item for Hecarim in season 3. It synergizes well with his kit and it gives everything that he needs. If you decide to get trinity, then I wouldn't suggest getting Frozen Fist because of them sharing the same passive.

Another great item for our pony. It gives Armor, CDR and mana. All of which Hecarim greatly needs. It also has a really nice passive.

I take Guardian Angel before Frozen Heart if I'm ahead. The revive really helps if you actually die first in teamfights.

This item synergizes well with Hecarim's W health sustain. It also gives nice HP, magic resist and CDR. This item also synergizes well with lifesteal items (Bloodthirster, Ravenous Hydra, etc.).

Get this if you're laning against an AP champ, but their team doesn't have a lot of AP. I can't count the number of times the passive of this item saved my life. I simply love getting this.

Great defensive item for Hecarim because it just works so well with his ult, making his initiation even more terrifying (pun intended).

Good mid game defensive item. I'd suggest it for a few matchups.

Great attack damage item if your enemies don't have a lot of armor. This is a situational late game item.

Take this as a damage item if your enemies are stacking armor. This is a good situational late game item.

If you want even more sustain, this item is the best because Hecarim does both attack damage AND magic damage. This is a situational item for late game.

Take this if the enemy team and your team have a lot of AP damage. This goes especially well with your ult. This is a situational late game item.

This is a good item to take early game if you're ahead in kills. It gives CDR, armor pen and attack damage, everything that makes Hecarim do more DPS. Although, this is a snowball item. You do not get this if you're behind. I would hesitate getting this vs hard lane matchups such as Riven or Darius, who have big killing potential if you're not tanky enough. Although, when you have trinity and when you're tanky enough, getting this item is good if you want to make a black cleaver.

This is a great item for Hecarim in season 3. It is made for ad bruisers and it'll make Hec's damage go up by tons. It also grants some tankiness, which our top lane pony loves. Black Cleaver's proc works with his Q and E also.

Strong offensive item to consider if you want to prioritize pushing your lane and roaming. The passive of this item, Butcher, will help a lot in stealing the enemy jungle's monster camps.

Items That May Be Viable

This item gives great attack speed and movement speed bonus, which are good with Hecarim. It also adds a nice crit chance bonus. Many people have told me to take this item, but it doesn't go well with tanky initiator Hecarim. The reason why it isn't so good is because you'd have to sacrifice one big item for this. There are a lot of more viable items to get instead, but you can always take this item for laughs and giggles because you'll be fast as hell.

Many people have told me how good shurelyas reverie is with Hecarim. It can be. Although, this means you have to sacrifice a big item spot. Again, there are a lot of more viable items to get instead. Only get this if your team is really ahead.

Ahead by a lot of kills? Don't know what else to build? Get this to burst down their carries even faster. I wouldn't usually build this because it doesn't give sustain, but if you're really far ahead, then get it to see them explode.

Consummables

Do not hesitate to buy these if you have trouble sustaining in your lane. It might save you or it might even get you a kill.

This item is great for sustain in lane, so don't hesitate to get it if you feel like you're using up too much mana or if you're engaging often in 1 on 1 fights. I usually get this with philo stone since the price of the philo stone has been reduced. Your sustain in lane is ridiculous with both of these items.

Ward your lane anytime you can. Everytime you go back, if you can buy a ward, do it. If you're ahead, don't hesitate to put double wards to make sure the jungler doesn't get you. They'll want your killing spree for the bonus gold. Remember, it's a ward for a life.

Match-ups

Difficulty level scales from 1 star to 5 stars. The more stars there are, the tougher the lane is.

Hardest Matchups

These three champs are the hardest match-ups you'll get as top lane Hecarim. They can just kite you all day and they're MANALESS. Ask help from your jungler. If he can't help, then take and play passively. Start with Flask and 3 pots or Flask with 1 pot and 1 ward. After that, it's a good idea to rush and . Also, don't hesitate to build some hp early on if needed. These champs have a lot of kill potential as they scale with levels, so be careful.

Hard Matchups

Difficulty: *** Gameplay vid available
I win my lane without any help of the jungler most of the time when I'm against a Darius, but if you're up vs a good one, this lane should be either tied or a bit in your favor. Use Flash instead of Ghost because you'll be in a lot of clutch moments where your reactions will determine the outcome of the matchup (watch the Hecarim vs Darius vid to understand). Start with Cloth + 5 pots.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get before for the . The reason why you take Sheen before Zeal is because you do not want to stay in a prolonged fight with Darius. Burst is better vs Darius to avoid him adding too many Hemorrhage stacks on you. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get and then for your . The reason why you get Sheen before Chain Vest is because you'll already be tanky enough with your Tabi + Ruby crystal, so getting some damage by then is your best option. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

This is very skill-dependant. The reason why Hecarim does good vs Darius is because he has his W sustain to regain health from each trade. If Darius uses his Q on you, punish him as much as you can while having your W activated. You should end up being the one who deals the most damage after each trade. Do not build gold items unless you're really losing your lane. Also, be very wary of the enemy jungler because Darius has very good synergy with junglers due to his pull. The best tip I can give is to always fight him with your Q's passive at maxed stacks.

If played well and without casualties, it should go just like in this game where I completely dominated my lane vs Darius without the help of my jungler.

Difficulty: **** Gameplay vid available
Start Cloth and 5 pots.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get then before for your . Getting sheen first gives you more bursts and that's exactly what you need because she has good escapes. The chain vest is just to stay on the safe side. Build it into a Sunfire Cape later on. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting and then then . After that, get and then for your . The reason why you want Chain Vest before Sheen is because you want to become an unkillable farming monster. Once you have your Chain Vest, she won't be able to do anything to you even if she has a brutalizer. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Be careful when she reaches level 6, because her kill potential becomes huge after that. Make sure to keep her low by spamming Q whenever she is close. Play passive-aggressive. You scale better than her into late game. You can 1 vs 1 her without any problem as soon as you get some armor, so don't commit too much into fighting her before that. I put her as a 4 star difficulty because she's a manaless champ.

Difficulty: *****
Start Cloth + 5 pots.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get before for your . Lee Sin has annoying escapes and sustain, which is why you want to burst him down and have good sustain yourself with your early sheen. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get and then for your . The reason why you take Sheen before Chain Vest is because Lee Sin is very vulnerable to damage even though he has good lifesteal with his W. You want to punish him with little bursts every time he gets close for a cs. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Spam Q each time you can hit him. This can be a very hard match-up if the Lee Sin plays aggressively in your early levels, which is the reason why I put him at 5 star difficulty. Also, he's a manaless champ and we all hate that.

Difficulty: ****
Start Cloth + 5 pots.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting and then . If you're having a hard time by now, get . If not, get , then before for your . You get zeal to avoid his jump stun and to chase after him after he misses his jump stun. You never want to be the first engaging vs Jax. Building early Armor and Hp is a good idea vs him. Your Chain Vest will be built into a . Also, After you complete , you will surely win any 1 on 1 trade with him. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, you can get either Sheen or Chain Vest for your Iceborn Gauntlet, depending on how well you're doing in lane. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

It's kind of a difficult matchup due to his huge burst after lvl 6. Before lvl 6, you can be aggressive and keep him low by spamming your Q everytime you can. Try fighting him with your Q's passive at maxed stacks in case he engages with his dodge activated.

Difficulty: ****
Start Flask + 3 pots since teemo does hybrid damage (both ad and ap) and he doesn't have cc, so wards aren't very needed in the first few minutes of the game. This is a hard difficulty matchup because a good Teemo will always kite you and keep you low so that you won't ever be tempted to engage on him. The drawback for him is that he'll always push his lane like that, so make your jungler notice that also.

For the Trinity rush, get as soon as possible. Then, rush . After that, get , then for your . Then, build situationally. Don't feel bad about getting 1 or 2 before getting trinity. The idea here is to just farm to get your mid/late game power. I often just push my lane and go roam for jungle farm or for a gank when I'm against Teemo. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, get as soon as possible. After that, get then . Then, get and then for your . The idea of rushing Tabi after your Philo Stone lets you roam better and your Sheen lets you farm faster. Simply push your lane and try roaming for jungle farm or for a gank. Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.
Teemo can't kill you in lane. Teemo is just annoying.

Average Matchups

Difficulty: ** Gameplay vid available
Start Cloth and 5 pots.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, build before and go for your . Build a Chain Vest in between if needed. The reason why I build zeal first before sheen is because Wukong doesn't have big escapes. He can turn invisible for a while, but you can easily catch up to him and keep adding phage procs. Wukong is a pretty easy match-up to go against. You can be as aggressive as you want vs him, but be wary of the jungler. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, you can get either Sheen or Chain Vest for your Iceborn Gauntlet, depending on how well you're doing in lane. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Proof that Wukong is easy to beat as Hecarim, as I went vs Wingsofdeathx. I went legendary in this game, but still didn't win because of the lack of communication in my team and my other lanes feeding Hoodstomp and ColbyCheeze.

Difficulty: **
Start Cloth + 5 pots even if he has a true damage attack.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get and then for your . You build sheen before zeal because you do not want to stay in a prolonged fight against Olaf and you can't chase him down due to his ult. Building a is good vs Olaf because it gives both health and defense and it also has a very useful passive. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get and then for your . The reason why you take Sheen before Chain Vest is because Olaf has a true damage attack, so armor isn't as useful as more burst damage. Ruby Crystal will be turned into a Warmogs later on. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Going against Olaf isn't that hard. It depends on the skill level of your opponent. Try to farm normally while using Q on him when you can. Fight him 1 on 1 only if you know where his jungler is. Also, keeping your ult to catch up to him when he tries to run away is a good thing to do.

Difficulty: ***
Start Cloth + 5 pots because Jayce will often try to poke you with his autoattacks.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting and then . After that, rush before for your . Don't hesitate getting a Chain Vest in between making your Trinity. It'll be turned into a Sunfire Cape. You want bursts against Jayce because of his annoying knockback. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get and then for your . The reason why you take Sheen before Chain Vest is because of his annoying knockback. You want to deal as much damage as you can in a single burst before he does that. Ruby Crystal will be turned into a Warmogs later on. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

This isn't a hard match-up. Same strategy in lane, just Q when you can. Do not engage on him unless you're level 6 or else he'll just troll push you away and you'll end up losing tons of mana for nothing.

Difficulty: **
Hecarim does well vs Irelia, but it all depends on the skill level of both players. Keep in mind that if she gets kills, she WILL snowball hard. Also, she scales really well with levels, so play startegicly and you will win vs her. Starting with Cloth + 5 pots is what you should do.

For the Trinity rush, get and first. After that, get before for your . With zeal, you'll activate more phage procs to keep her slowed and if she stuns you, you'll catch up in no time with the movement speed bonus that it gives. Don't hesitate to build Doran's Shield in between getting your Trinity if you're having a hard time. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get and then for your . The reason why you take Sheen before Chain Vest is because she can do true damage to you, so burst damage becomes more important than armor. Ruby Crystal will be turned into a Warmogs later on. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

This is a match where I completely dominated my lane vs Irelia and went legendary.

Difficulty: ***
Start Cloths + 5 pots.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get before for your . Build a Chain Vest in between if needed. You get zeal before sheen because as soon as he engages or autoattacks you, you want to stay on him as much as you can and activate those phage procs. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, you can get either Sheen or Chain Vest for your Iceborn Gauntlet, depending on how well you're doing in lane. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Jarvan has a pretty annoying early game. He can't kill you, but you can kill him. If he comes close to autoattack you, remember to attack him back constantly. Make him regret coming close to you. At level 6, you can easily escape his ult with yours.

Difficulty: ****
Pretty difficult match-up, especially since they buffed her. She can activate her Q proc with her E now. That's a pretty big deal because Jax, Fiora and Panth aren't really counters to her Q procs anymore. Against Akali, I'd recommend starting . Build a and a as soon as possible.

For the Trinity rush, build then and then for your . You get sheen before zeal because it'll give you more bursts and it'll give you more health sustain when you activate your W. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting and then and for your . Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

After level 6, she becomes a one man army. Don't hesitate to buy vision wards and ask for a gank from your jungler. As soon as she jumps on you, just place the vision ward and kill her with your jungler. She's a difficulty 7 because of her high burst damage and because she's manaless.

Difficulty: *** Gameplay vid available
Neither of you should be able to kill each other because you both have good sustain in lane and good escapes. This doesn't mean you can't try to zone her early on. Start cloth + 5 pots vs Nid because she can just constantly poke you.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get a before your for your . The reason why you get sheen first here is because she can easily run away from you in her cougar form, so you want to have a bigger burst power. Don't hesitate to get one or two Doran's Shield inbetween getting your Trinity. Pushing your lane to go roam is something you should think about in this matchup. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, you can build one or two Doran's Shield to totally ignore her damage. Then, get and then for your . The reason why you take Sheen before Chain Vest is because you'll already have your Doran's Shield(s) to make you tanky enough to take her on. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.
Her damage becomes pretty insignificant when you start stacking a bit of armor. After level 4, I'd recommend being aggressive because your Q will start doing good damage and you'll have your W for sustain. Do not hesitate to use your E to engage on her when you know where the enemy jungler is. Her difficulty is 7 because of her crazy sustain.

Difficulty: ***
Start , 5x and because you'll be wanting a safe early game and an early Philo Stone.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting as soon as possible. Then, get , and and then for your . An early sheen will let you have a bigger burst and more sustain with your W activated. Also, with your Philo Stone and Doran's Shield, you'll have enough health regen and tankiness to just push your lane and go roam for jungle farm or for a gank. You do not want to stay and lane vs Yorick unless your jungler wants to gank for you. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting as soon as possible. Then, get and . Then, get and then for your . The reason why you take Sheen before Chain Vest is because you'll already have your Doran's Shield(s) to make you tanky enough to take him on. Also, your plan is to push your lane and then roam for jungle farm or for a gank. Don't lane vs Yorick unless your jungler wants to gank for you. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

You can sustain well vs Yorick, but he can sustain even better. It is really hard to kill him without the help of your jungler, but at least it's not a dangerous lane. Neither of you should be able to kill each other alone.

Difficulty: *** Gameplay vid available
Start Cloth + 5 pots.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get a before your for your . You need bursts against him because he can easily run away from you. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . Then, get and then for your . Get Doran's Shield inbetween if you want to be tankier. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Difficulty: ** to ***** depending on enemy jungle presence
Start boots + 4 pots. Rush lvl 2 boots ASAP. It doesn't matter if it's or because he does hybrid damage. You need good movement speed against him to avoid getting caught in his throw-back.

For the Trinity rush, I suggest getting after your lvl 2 boots. After that, get a before your for your . You need bursts against him because he can easily run away from you. Don't hesitate to get one or two Doran's Shield if he's really aggressive. His early game is really good, but he scales badly into late game. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . Then, get and then for your . Get Doran's Shield inbetween if you want to be tankier. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Volibear isn't a dangerous opponent to fight 1 on 1. You win every trade if he wants to duel you. The scary thing about him is that he synergizes well with his jungler because of his throw-back. Unless you know where the enemy jungler is, do not attempt to fully engage. Always keep your E available to escape ganks and ignite for the kill.

Difficulty: ***
Start Cloth + 5 pots to minimize his Q harass as much as possible.

For the Trinity rush, get then . After that, get then for your . Don't hesitate to take one of two Doran's Shield inbetween. You get Sheen before Zeal to have a bigger burst damage since most Gankplanks will play passive and sit under tower. Rushing Philo Stone is also good vs him. You'll want to roam often in this matchup. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get , then for your . You get Chain Vest before Sheen to ignore his annoying Q damage and just push your lane to go roam afterwards. Get Doran's Shield inbetween if you want to be tankier. Rushing Philo Stone is also good vs Gp. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Gankplank is fairly weak 1 on 1. Most of the time, they will run Teleport/Flash and max the Orange skill just to never lose lane. This lets you gank for mid or invade the enemy jungle very often. As Hecarim, after level 6, it is very safe to do so with all of your escapes.

Difficulty: ***
Start Cloth + 5 pots. He's the strongest early game champ in game. Don't fight him through level 1 to 4 and just play safe or else he'll surprise you with his burst. You can't kill him if he plays safe and abuses his W sustain.

For the Trinity rush, get first. Now, what you get depends on if you're winning your lane or not. If you're losing your lane or just farming on equal levels to him, get then . If you're winning, then get right away. After that, get and then for your . Finishing your will make you win every exchange in mid/late game. The reason why you get Sheen before Zeal is because he has a slow that can negate the attack bonus of your passive, so Zeal is not so good in lane vs Rengar. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . After that, get , then for your . You get Chain Vest before Sheen to resist his burst. Get a Doran's Shield if you're having trouble. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Difficulty: ***
Start Cloth + 5 pots. This is a medium difficulty matchup. Fiora only hurts a lot in her early levels, from what I've experienced while going against my 2.1k elo friend who mains top lane also.

For the Trinity rush, get then . After that, get and then for your . You get Sheen before Zeal because you want to kite her while waiting for her attack speed steroid to disappear, so quick bursts are best. Also, get a Doran's Shield if you're having trouble. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . Then, get and then for your . You get Sheen first to be able to trade with her better. If you want more defence, get Doran's Shield. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Avoid fighting with her from lvl 1 to 4 while only using your Q to damage her. After getting a few items, everything should go very smoothly for you.

Difficulty: **
I'd recommend starting because most of Shen's damage is magic. It's not a difficult matchup, but it's hard to kill him due to his annoying sustain and escapes. Using teleport is viable in this mathcup to counter his ult.

For the Trinity rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. After that, get then for your . You get Sheen before Zeal because he has a really annoying escape, so bursts are better vs him. Get an early Giant's Belt to make laning easier or a Philo Stone to spam your Q to push your lane and roam. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. Then, get and then for your . You get Sheen first to be able to trade with him better and because he does mostly magic damage anyway. You can get an early Giant's Belt to make laning easier or a Philo Stone to spam your Q to push your lane and roam. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

When laning vs Shen, you will likely push the lane as you use Q to damage him. When he's pushed up to his tower, don't stay there. His taunt is lethal if it lands and his jungler is there. Instead, either go buy, gank for mid or invade their jungle. A good Hecarim always abuses his mobility to cause havoc throughout the map and help the team. Remember that your late game teamfight power is immense compared to Shen's.

Difficulty: *** Gameplay vid available
Start Flask + 3 pots or Flask + 1 pot + 1 ward, depending on the enemy jungler. This matchup difficulty completely depends on the junglers of the game. You two are monsters after lvl 6, and it all depends on the jungler being there or not when your devastating ults are up. Alone, it is very hard to kill a good malphite. Use the same strategy here like you were going vs Shen.

For the Trinity rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. After that, get then for your . You get Sheen before Zeal because he has a really annoying escape, so bursts are better vs him. Get an early Giant's Belt to make laning easier or a Philo Stone to spam your Q to push your lane and roam. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. Then, get and then for your . You get Sheen first to be able to trade with him better and because he does mostly magic damage anyway. You can get an early Giant's Belt to make laning easier or a Philo Stone to spam your Q to push your lane and roam. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

For the Trinity rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. After that, get then for your . You get Sheen before Zeal because he has a really annoying escape, so bursts are better vs him. You can also get an early Giant's Belt to make laning easier or a Philo Stone to spam your Q to push your lane and roam. The idea here is to farm as much as possible for your mid/late game dominance. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. Then, get and then for your . You get Sheen first to be able to trade with him better and because he does mostly magic damage anyway. You can get an early Giant's Belt to make laning easier or a Philo Stone to spam your Q to push your lane and roam. The idea here is to farm as much as possible for your mid/late game dominance. You know that Singed wants to become near unkillable later on by farming a lot, so you do it also. Remember that your late game is a lot stronger than his. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Difficulty: **
Start Flask + 3 pots or Flask + 1 pot + 1 ward, depending on the enemy jungler. Cho is very weak early game. He can never be aggressive with you without pushing the lane, making him vulnerable to ganks.

For the Trinity rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. After that, get , then for your . Then, build situationally. Getting Zeal before Sheen will help you evade his Knock Up easily and it also helps keeping him slowed by your phage procs. Remember, he has no escapes. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, build as soon as possible and in an order depending on the situation. Then, get and then for your . You get Sheen before Chain Vest because he does mostly magic damage anyway. Also, don't hesitate to get an early Giant's Belt to counter his true damage ult. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

A good Cho will abuse his passive and heal back up by last hitting creeps. All you have to do is use Q and an auto attack on him each time he goes for a cs when your Q starts hurting at around lvl 4. Cho is very squishy pre6, so dont hesitate to show him your damage. Also, be more careful than usual for the enemy jungler because Cho has great killing potential with his jungler if you get knocked up.

Difficulty: ****
Start cloth + 5 health pots. All you need to do is to play strategically and remember that he might have a red elixir or his ult up his sleeves when you engage in a fight with him.

For the Trinity rush, get then . After that, get and then for your . You get Sheen before Zeal because Renekton is just gonna dash away after doing his burst on you, so you want to do as much damage in one shot as you can while he's close. Also, get a Doran's Shield if you're having trouble. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . Then, get and then for your . You get Sheen first to be able to trade with him better. If you want more defence, get Doran's Shield. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Concentrate on last hitting and stay far from his combo reach until you're level 4 or 5. Don't use too much mana for farming because you'll need it when you want to go aggressive. When you've reached those levels, you can bait him into attacking you with his combo. Counter it with Q and W everytime he does that. He should be the one taking the most damage from it (unless he has full fury) since you'll heal back with your W passive. Also, remember that he has high cooldowns for his skills and that you have a really low cooldown for your Q. Punish him with several Q's by chasing him with E after he finishes his combo on you.

In this recent 2k elo game, even though I've been camped by the enemy jungler non-stop, I still dominated my lane and got to be legendary. When you're Hec vs Renek, you have no excuse to lose, even if mid, bot and your jungler are losing terribly (I might be a little harsh, but that was the case in this game I had lol). Alas, one can only carry so much. Amirite?

Difficulty: **
Start Flask + 3 health pots. Since she doesn't have any cc, getting an early ward isn't too important, so go for the survivability in lane.

When going against Kat, always rush first. She loses all threat as soon as you get that. Afterwards, I build for the health and mana regen and for the fast clears when I decide to roam. After that, your items are situational.

You have 2 abilities that can interrupt her ult, so she can't go all out on you unless she's got you low enough by poking. Though, our Top Lane Pony will have too much sustain for that to ever happen ;)

For the Trinity rush, get then . After that, get and then for your . You get Sheen before Zeal because Zed can be really slippery, which means you won't get to hit him many times. Do this if there's a STRONG TANK (amumu, malphite, maokai, shen, etc.) in your team.

For the Iceborn Gauntlet rush, I suggest getting then . Then, get and then for your . You get Sheen first for the quick burst that it gives. If you want more defence, get Doran's Shield. Your Ruby Crystal will be part of your Warmogs. Do this when your team is in need of a good tank.

Hec shouldn't have any trouble vs Zed. Though, if you really can't beat him, then just get ignite + exhaust instead of ghost. Exhaust makes his ult do almost nothing and is always useful in teamfights.

Youtube Channel

Hecarim Montage

FEATURED YOUTUBE CHANNEL VIDEOS

Please support and subscribe! :D (It helps a lot!!)

How To Snowball To Victory

This section of the guide is made specifically to explain what to do when you're ahead.
To start things off, Hecarim is a huge snowballing champ. If he gets ahead, he can be ungankable, unkillable and a constant threat that'll be all over the map.

So I'm ahead in kills and I'm dominating my lane... What do?
The secret of how to snowball immensely with Top Lane Hec is finally revealed:

UNDER CONSTRUCTION. UPDATES SOON :)

Early Game

Early game is Hecarim's weakest game phase. Farm as much as possible for that mid/late game domination

Hecarim is weak from lvl 1 to 3, so I wouldn't suggest being aggressive in those early stages of the game. As soon as you hit level 4, that's when you can start spamming your Q as often as you want to damage the enemy. Fully engage only when you have your Q's cooldown passive at maxed stacks. It's rare that you can get a kill by yourself in these early levels because you don't have your ult yet to surprise-burst the opponent. Be patient and farm as much as you can without doing anything too crazy just yet.

Early Game Tips

- Use Q to last hit cs, since it has such a low mana cost and CD.
- Engage in 1 on 1 fights with Q's cooldown passive preferably at maxed stacks
- Activate W only when you're fully engaging. You'll heal up a bit of the damage that way.
- Activate W in a large wave of creeps to gain back some health.
- Never use E for damage in lane unless you know where the enemy jungler is. I suggest keeping that skill either for a kill or for escaping enemy ganks.
- The most important thing for a top laner is to always expect a gank from the enemy jungler when you dont have wards. I suggest being passive until you have your E to escape ganks.

When you reach level 6 and you're going against a very passive laner that only wants to farm under tower, you can start roaming. You can either invade their jungle or gank for mid. If you have teleport, you can even roam to bottom lane without losing any cs top because you can just teleport back top. Hecarim ganks at level 6 are godly and if you get caught in their jungle, you can easily escape with your ult.

When you're level 6 and your lane opponent is tough (Yorick, Riven, etc.), tell your jungler to come. It's a free kill. Hecarim synergizes so well with any jungler as soon as he has his ultimate up. Check the first video in the Tips And Tricks section of the guide to know how to use Hecarim's ult properly. This will take some practice to get it right, but if done well, it is absolutely lethal.

Mid Game And Teamfights

By this time, you should be close to finishing your trinity force or you already have it. This is when our little pony starts to shine. If the enemy team wants to force teamfights, then it's a good thing for you because mid game Hecarim wants teamfights.

In this match, I've been constantly trying to force the enemy team to fight because it was mid game and I had my top minion wave pushed. Hecarim is a beast mid game and you should not be scared to initiate into even a 3 vs 4, depending on the situation. Even when my two teammates were low and there were 3 enemies at full health, I ulted on all 3 of them and made my teammates turn around to fight. We ended up picking a 2 for 1 exchange and a free dragon.

You'll be the one initiating most of the time, so be careful to pick the exact right moment to go in with your team. Knowing when to engage and when to back off is key to being a good initiator. It is something you learn with experience and even amongst my 2k elo friends, there aren't many who do this very well. In this phase, make the right decision on who to focus first because the AD carries aren't that strong yet, so focusing them first isn't as important as when it's late game. Also, keep the objectives in mind because this is when they become crucial.

Make calculated risks, keep your objectives in mind, use your judgement on who to focus first in teamfights and be commanding. You are the one who decides when to make those big plays.

Late Game And Teamfights

At this point, with most of your items completed, you're invincible in teamfights and you can towerdive without a care in the world. Although, keep in mind that you cannot go into a 1 vs 5 and win. Don't be silly. Hecarim's near-invincibility comes from the help of your teammates. As long as you teammates are there to do damage to the enemies around you, then you'll be fine jumping in first.

The things to remember late game are almost the same as for mid game. You have to make calculated risks and keep your objectives in mind. Although, you can't just focus anyone now. You have to aim for the carries first all the time.

Now, you have 2 things you can do after initiating: chase or protect.
These are essential for late game. You have to judge if it's more important to chase after their carries or to protect yours. Hecarim can do those things like a boss. Remember that Hecarim's kit is made to jump on anyone in a teamfight, no matter where they're trying to run to. You have either your ult or your E as a gap closer. On the other hand, even with all those cool moves that let you go straight to their carries and kill them, you have to remember that most of the damage from your team will come from your AD carry. The longer your AD carry stays alive in a teamfight, the better.

Making the right decision between chasing and protecting will most likely decide the fate of the teamfight. As always, be commanding and tell your team when you're going to engage. As Hecarim, you are the one who decides when to make plays.

Your Teammates

Good Mid Teammates

As you can see, Hecarim works well with a lot of AP mids. Any AP champs that can either slow or stun a target goes well with Hecarim because, that way, you can easily place your ult so that the enemy champ moves into the opposite direction from where you land due to the ''Terror'' effect. This will be explained in the Tip And Tricks section.

Good Jungler Teammates

All these champs have great synergy with Hecarim. They all make Hecarim's initiation much more terrifying. My personal favorite is Shyvana's ult combined with Hecarim's ult for the lolz.

For A Better Understanding Of Champ Synergy

Have you ever wondered why sometimes you lose even when your team is ahead in kills, tower and overall gold? Sure, you can blame it on players being bad and mispositioning in teamfights and on the map, but what truly matters the most is the synergy between the champs in your team. How can we determine who has synergy together, you ask? Well, continue reading to find out.

For starters, Rumble, Sona and Amumu have synergy together with their combined ults. That would make your team very AoE heavy. The good side of this is obviously that your team has huge teamfight presence. Though, the bad side of this is that if the ults are wasted, the teamfight will most likely not turn in your favor.
Another example would be Lux, Ezreal, Jayce. Together, these champs make your team very strong in pokes and kiting. The good side of this is that your team can easily keep snowballing during the game since you never really put yourself in danger by poking and kiting. The bad side of this is that your teamfight presence is average compared to the AoE comp. Also, very few people know how to position themselves well and they get caught out of place 90% of the time (during solo queue), making you eventually lose the game.

As you might've already guessed, a decent team composition would have both good teamfight presence and poke. I could name a few like Xin Zhao, Lux, Ezreal, Taric, Malphite or even Rumble, Sona, Lee Sin, Diana, Graves. Either of the teams that I just made would be almost impossible to beat in solo queue if everyone in game is a decent player. This is all simply because they have a balance between teamfight presence and poking.

Now that you guys have a decent idea of what champ synergy is, how does this concern our Top Lane Pony? Well, it's based on this specific knowledge that I choose what to build on Hecarim. Not only that I build items to win my lane, but I also build according to my team's needs by choosing either the Trinity Force route or the Iceborn Gauntlet route and by building items that I judge will help us the most. Champ synergy is the first thing people should look into when they want to go pro.

***Leave a note in the comments section if you guys want this part to be bigger and more detailed. There's a ton of crucial things to say about syngery, what works and what doesn't.***

Good Synergy Champs For Hec

Her passive gives everyone on the team +3% movement speed bonus. This gives you even more free attack damage from your passive.

Tailwind - Increases the Movement Speed of all allied champions by 3%.

Nunu can blood boil you to make you an even more frightening pony. It gives you movement speed and attack speed bonus, which compliments with your passive.

Blood Boil - Nunu invigorates himself and an allied unit by heating their blood, increasing their Movement and Attack Speeds.
The heat of Nunu and a target ally's blood rises, increasing Movement Speed by 11/12/13/14/15% and Attack Speed by 25/35/45/55/65% for 15 seconds.

Sivir's ult gives you a big amount of movement speed and attack speed bonus, which compliments with your passive.

On The Hunt - Sivir leads her allies into battle granting them increased Movement and Attack Speeds for a period of time.
Sivir's battle prowess emanates for 10 seconds, increasing her Movement Speed by 20% and Attack Speed by 30/45/60%. Nearby allies gain the Movement Speed bonus and half of the Attack Speed bonus for the duration.

Lulu can speed you up and use her ult on you as you charge in with yours for an even bigger and scarier initiation.

Wild Growth - Lulu enlarges an ally, knocking nearby enemies into the air and granting them a large amount of bonus health. For the next few seconds, that ally gains an aura that slows nearby enemies.
Lulu enlarges her ally, knocking nearby enemies into the air. For 7 seconds, her ally gains 300/450/600 (+0.5) bonus health and slows nearby enemies by 30/45/60% for 1 second

Orianna can speed you up with her ball and use her ult along with your ult to make an even stronger engage. A very strong combo.

Command: Dissonance - Orianna commands the ball to release a pulse of energy, dealing magic damage around it. This leaves a field behind that speeds up allies and slows enemies.

Command: Shockwave - Orianna commands her ball to unleash a shockwave, dealing magic damage and launching nearby enemies towards the ball after a short delay.

Tips And Tricks

Hecarim's kit is amazing for either escaping or for engaging. Here, I will be showing videos on how you can use him to his full potential.

Catching People Out Of Position With Your Ult

In this vid, I catch Orianna out of position by making use of the ''Terror'' effect of my ult and the push back from my E skill. This can be done anytime as soon as you reach level 6 and it is key to becoming a good Hecarim player.

Surprising The Enemy By Ulting From A Long Distance

Here, I jump into 3 people without them having any vision on me. A surprise ult is the best way to engage with Hecarim. If you're looking to engage, always look for the best moment to do so.

Wall Of Success

shernfire: "I'm diamond 2 now going for challenger before the season ends still grateful for this guide"

always hc: "I played 100+/- ranked games following your guide, and all i can say is that its just fantastic!"

Hi. Nice guide. I mainly play Heca jungle, but have tried him top with good success.
I wonder about a couple of things in your runes.
You have 1 * Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist. Why ?
That singel rune gives you an extra 0,17 Magic Resist at lvl 1. A mere 1 MR at lvl 6.
Do you even feel the difference ?
What have I misunderstood ?
I usually try to buy the Spirit Visage as early as possible for the sustain/survivability, and that 1-2 extra MR can't really make a difference, can it ?

I haven't tried the mix of the manaregenrunes, so looking forward to trying it out.

Also : It seems you try to get Triforce first in most occasions. As I don't have the skills and only being silver I tend to go a bit tanky before I start the damageitems. Going all in with offensive items first often see me loosing trades badly. Any tips on how I should try to win my lane with such an offensive build as you have ?

@albertdo Tp + Ignite is good also :) I've been using Ignite + Ghost for 3 years so it's hard for me to change my playstyle, but it's all about preference! I'm really aggressive from the start, so the powerspike I get from activating ghost (from my passive) usually helps me get kills that the enemy laner won't expect.

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHqgzMj8PdE

That's me playing Hec. If I hadn't missed my Q, Gnar would've been dead lol.. So Ghost doesn't only saves me from dying, but it's also a steroid that helps me get kills :D

Really nice guide and I've been looking for a hecarim guide for hours. Have you ever considered tp/ignite? I know it sounds ridiculous but a lot of koreans have been playing it recently and I personally enjoy it but what do you think?